Thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading!
We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content.

Thank you for trusting us for your local news coverage. You have reached the maximum number of free articles per month. Subscribe today for unlimited access to News-Press NOW.
It's a fast and easy way to support local journalism.

MIAMI — At home in Savannah or St. Joseph, Ryan Hand was never far from the site of Chiefs Training Camp. The many trips to Arrowhead Stadium took only but an hour.

Now the Chiefs are in Super Bowl 54 in Miami, and he’s closer than ever.

The former Missouri Western golfer and coach received an assistant job at Barry University in Miami last year and now lives just 3 miles from the site of where Kansas City hopes to hoist the Lombardi trophy on Sunday.

“Now that I’m here, it’s really cool. I’ve been growing up going to Chiefs games and watching them on TV,” Hand said. “My dad got me Sunday Ticket so I was able to watch all the games on the road traveling with the golf teams.”

Hand got to watch the team up close and personal as a fan on his alma mater’s campus for training camp and hasn’t missed a game all season.

He was there at Opening Night at Marlins Park on Monday when his team took the stage to speak with the media, even sending former MWSU strength coach Greg Carbin a text as one of his mentors.

A sea of red overtook the Magic City and brought the feel of home thousands of miles away.

“It’s cool,” Hand said. “It’s awesome to see a lot of Midwesterners here, going over memories of the waiting.”

Hand won’t be able to be on hand with ticket prices around $4,000, though he’ll be back home in Missouri to watch. It’s his second favorite place, but nowhere better to watch a historic moment.

“Watching a game at Arrowhead Stadium is probably one of the best sports memories I’ve ever had,” Hand said. “To have them play for the championship in Miami, it’s the perfect.